OLD Trafford came under fire today over the state of the square where the second Test will be fought next week.

Lancashire have worked their socks off to overcome heavy early-season rain to get the ground fit.

But Glamorgan star Adrian Dale reckons it could be a losing battle.

Dale figured in the first game of the season to be played in Manchester when Glamorgan beat Lancashire in the Norwich Union League last Sunday. Before then not a ball had been bowled in any form of cricket at Old Trafford because of the saturated outfield.

The League game was played on the track where the championship match between the two clubs would have been played had it not been wiped out by the weather.

And Dale claimed:"It really was a poor pitch - I can't believe we were supposed to play a championship game on it. I don't think it would have lasted two days. It was awful.

"If they have bad weather up there, then I can see them having serious problems with the Test pitch.''

concern

Dale's attack could set alarm bells ringing at Lords who are already concerned about ticket sales for the Old Trafford clash.

Lancashire however claimed that the financial picture has improved this week with the box-office inundated by calls after England's stunning win at Lords on Sunday.

It has been a distressing spell for the Red Rose club who have had to call off two complete championship matches and a Norwich Union fixture and have faced constant pressure over their Test match preparations. Despite the problems, there is optimism of producing a successful match and preserving their Test match status.

Lancashire can also point to the day-night Natwest Series match between England and Australia on June 14 which was an instant sell-out. However, in recent years they have been criticised for low Test attendancies, particularly on the first day, and this is something which they have tried hard to fix - even to the extent of asking the north west's Pakistani communities to treat next week's game as a 'home' fixture for their side.

The state of the ground, though, is another headache altogether. The Old Trafford Test is usually in early July and this one comes earlier to Manchester than ever before after prolonged bad weather.